This Kickstarter by Harebrained Schemes LLC looks to fund Shadowrun Returns, described as "the game that Shadowrun fans have been waiting for a long time." This will be designed for Windows PCs and Apple & Android tablets by Jordan Weisman, creator of the original cyberpunk RPG (thanks John). Word is: "Shadowrun Returns is not only going to make some old geeks (like us) very happy but it will introduce new players to a dynamic gaming universe that is beloved around the world." They are about five percent of the way to their $400,000 target, a modest goal for game development they explain like this: "The game we want to make is very humble by modern blockbuster game standards but it is still way beyond the ability of a small start-up to fund by itself."

I doubt they'll make the 2.5 and 3 million they've been talking about, as the donations have slowed to a trickle, but I'm hopeful they can get the extra 100K.

They'll get the 100K, easy, with 11 days to go. It seems like a lot of the KS lag in the middle, with the beginning and end being the strong points where people kick money in. I'm still thinking 2.5 isn't out of the realm of possibility.

Excellent! Who would have imagined, last Monday, that we'd have a fully funded Shadowrun game on the way by Thur?

Also Wasteland is about 6K away from 2 million...

I know! I hope Wasteland makes the 2.1 million. Having Avellone onboard would be fantastic. I doubt they'll make the 2.5 and 3 million they've been talking about, as the donations have slowed to a trickle, but I'm hopeful they can get the extra 100K.

Jerykk wrote on Apr 5, 2012, 00:36:I've never played Shadowrun before. Is it an actual RPG, with equally viable diplomacy & stealth paths and quests with morally ambiguous choices that have long-term repercussions? Or is it just an action RPG with turn-based combat?

It's a complete PnP D20 RPG system. It's really little different from D&D except for the flavour, setting and classes. The quests are only as good as the DM that makes them. There are also commercial modules available like every other system with most of them being quite good.

I don't like the D20 system, to be honest. The old D6 system worked just fine. I always liked it much better than D&D because a punk with a gun is a serious threat in Shadowrun. If he rolls enough 6s, you wind up looking at a 8S wound with 12 successes. Good luck rolling resistance.

And the magic system in Shadowrun is fantastic. Cast as many spells as you want, as long as you can handle the Drain. It becomes really awesome when you're (I forgot what the word is. Initiated?) and you have enough willpower to start stacking spells. Stacking two Stunbolt 8s on top of one another really fucks with anyone's day.

I miss PnP Shadowrun. Anyone want to travel to Tulsa every other weekend, so we can run a campaign? I've got plenty of my old campaign stuff lying around.

Jerykk wrote on Apr 5, 2012, 00:36:I've never played Shadowrun before. Is it an actual RPG, with equally viable diplomacy & stealth paths and quests with morally ambiguous choices that have long-term repercussions? Or is it just an action RPG with turn-based combat?

You mean the videogames, or the PnP system?

The SNES Shadowrun game was pretty heavy on the combat, but there was a lot of dialogue etc in it too. AND YOU GOT TO SPAZZ OUT A VAMPIRE WITH A STROBE LIGHT!

Cutter wrote on Apr 5, 2012, 07:54:It's a complete PnP D20 RPG system. It's really little different from D&D except for the flavour, setting and classes. The quests are only as good as the DM that makes them. There are also commercial modules available like every other system with most of them being quite good.

Just to clarify... Shadowrun is not D20 and mechanics are nothing like D&D. It's actually a D6 system. The newest revision has more in common with White Wolf's Storyteller system than any flavor of D&D. And the old system... well the old system was unique in of itself, with dice pools and having to strategically allocate them throughout the combat round.

Jerykk wrote on Apr 5, 2012, 00:36:I've never played Shadowrun before. Is it an actual RPG, with equally viable diplomacy & stealth paths and quests with morally ambiguous choices that have long-term repercussions? Or is it just an action RPG with turn-based combat?

It's a complete PnP D20 RPG system. It's really little different from D&D except for the flavour, setting and classes. The quests are only as good as the DM that makes them. There are also commercial modules available like every other system with most of them being quite good.

Jerykk wrote on Apr 5, 2012, 00:36:I've never played Shadowrun before. Is it an actual RPG, with equally viable diplomacy & stealth paths and quests with morally ambiguous choices that have long-term repercussions? Or is it just an action RPG with turn-based combat?

Shadowrun operates from a 3/4th view, and battle involves you blasting it out with your foe (you need a gun to fight). These battles are more dependent on your statistics than actually video game skill

I've never played Shadowrun before. Is it an actual RPG, with equally viable diplomacy & stealth paths and quests with morally ambiguous choices that have long-term repercussions? Or is it just an action RPG with turn-based combat?

Unfortunately they've got the limitation of accommodating the laggy jab-and-smear controls of tablets. So the gameplay can't require either precision or reflexes. But I guess a really old school turn-based RPG would work.

It's a good thing they're making an old school, turn-based RPG then.

I really hope they do this right. If they do, then you could be doing things like coordinating the actions of your decker in the Matrix with maybe a shaman or mage in astral form, and drones run by your rigger, all helping your team to pull off its mission.

Straight from the kickstart page itself:

Here are some ways that selecting each character type allows you to see the map from a different perspective:

Street Samurai see a threat assessment overlay of the environment that notes enemy appraisals, options for cover, potential weapons, and statistics for drawn weapons. Combat Mages see magical auras, granting them the ability to locate magical items, identify spells being prepared, and find the intersections of magic lay lines where they can recharge their power. Hackers/Deckers see the digital control circuitry that allows them to manipulate the physical world via the digital one. Shaman see the “true world” that lies in the astral plane, distinguishing the true nature of people, plants, creatures, and magical objects while buildings and other “dead” objects appear as mere shadows.

Missions (aka "Runs") in Shadowrun Returns can require interaction with all four realities simultaneously, requiring you to use information learned from each character’s perspective to coordinate their context-sensitive actions to get the job done. . . and survive.

Unfortunately they've got the limitation of accommodating the laggy jab-and-smear controls of tablets. So the gameplay can't require either precision or reflexes. But I guess a really old school turn-based RPG would work.

According to the kickstarter page, it's supposed to be turn-based. I really hope they do this right. If they do, then you could be doing things like coordinating the actions of your decker in the Matrix with maybe a shaman or mage in astral form, and drones run by your rigger, all helping your team to pull off its mission. It could be fucking awesome if they do it right!

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." -- Bertrand Russell (I think...)

MoreLuckThanSkill wrote on Apr 4, 2012, 16:13:Maybe it would be better to just call some Kickstarter projects scams/cash grabs? I did do some research on the Kickstarter stuff though, pretty interesting. The overall success rate is around 45%, WAY higher than I thought it was going to be. I assume there is a fairly detailed vetting process before they get to put up a Kickstarter page.

I've written extensive writeups on the things they do to prevent scams. The biggest thing is that NO project gets ANY money unless it reaches its goal. So if a random scam artist comes along and puts zero effort into something, and has a goal of $10,000 and gets a pledge of $100 from a sucker, guess what? He doesn't get a cent, and the sucker keeps his money. I've linked to examples in the past.

nin wrote on Apr 4, 2012, 21:38:should have done FTL, but kept forgetting. I'll grab it on steam for sure...

If you look at right hand side near top of a kickstarter page theres a little star you can click on to keep track of projects in your profile that you might want to check in on before they end

Sepharo wrote on Apr 4, 2012, 21:51:I was hesitant on LSL after seeing the October announcement but they've now clarified the situation enough for me. If it was a new game instead of a remake they might get $100 from me like DF.

Wait what? A new LSL game? How did I miss that? Was there a blues post on it?

Unfortunately they've got the limitation of accommodating the laggy jab-and-smear controls of tablets. So the gameplay can't require either precision or reflexes. But I guess a really old school turn-based RPG would work.

Of all the kickstarters I've been hoping for, this is probably the one that I've wanted more than any other. Judging from the people involved, they have a great group that actually cares about the SR universe rather than just wanting to exploit the IP. I just hope they can create a fun game out of it. I'm more than willing to support the effort though. Thinking of upping my donation now.

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." -- Bertrand Russell (I think...)